Display rack



March 24, 1936. I w TINKER 2,035,105

DISPLAY RACK Filed May 26, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 24, 1936. H. w T|NKER 2,035,105

DISPLAY RACK Filed May 26, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES DISPLAY RACK Herbert W. Tinker, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Lyon Cover Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application May 26, 1933, Serial No. 672,994

5 Claims. (01. 211-433) This invention .has to do with display racks and is concerned more particularly with a display rack which ismade of sheet material such as metal.

It is an object of the present invention to utilize what would otherwise be scrap material in the production of sheet metallic articles such as display racks.

It is another object of the invention to employ the by-products remaining after the manufacture of tire covers, for the manufacture of metallic articles such as display racks.

It is a further object of the invention to employ a novel method of manufacture of a sheet metal article, substantially all of whose parts are stamped from the material remaining after removal of material to be employed as a tire cover.

It is another object of the invention to employ an entire circular blank of sheet metal by cutting the same into a plurality of parts all of which constitute salient parts of a display rack or stand.

Another object of the invention resides in the arangement and shape of material parts of a display stand so that the same, before being formed, together constitute a complete circle and, after being formed, constitute the framework of a display stand.

Other objects of the invention are to provide: a display stand affording means whereby the same may be supported by legs or, selectively, suspended; a device of this character which is extremely attractive, and affords means for supporting a mirror and for supporting articles in front of the mirror; a display stand which is compact, may be manufactured at a lower cost than would be the case if the principles of the present invention were not followed; adisplay rack which is dependable in use and is durable, and may be finished in any desired color or design of enamel or may be chrome plated or otherwise finished to provide the desired esthetic effect.

In accordance with the general features of the invention, a generally square blank which is employed in the manufacture of tire cover annular side plates, has an annular portion thereof removed'for that purpose. The central blank and the irregular annular piece remaining have heretofore been sold as scrap at a price very substantially below the price at which the material is originally purchased. The present invention contemplates the retention of the circular blank in its entirety and selected portions of the irregular annular piece. To this end, the circular piece in accordance with the present invention is cut through along an arc parallel to its periphery and preferably in excess of 180 and along the chord connecting the ends of said 5 are. The part-circular piece thus defined is itself sheared along a chord which may be substantially parallel to and of substantially the same length as the first chord. The segment thus remaining is divided by a radial cut preferably bisecting the second chord. Thus from the original circular blank, we have a pair of complemental brace or bracket parts together constituting a segment of the circle along which the original cut was made, a platform or shelf member having arcuate ends and longitudinal edges between the ends, and a generally annular frame piece remaining, said piece being substantially circular throughout more than 180 and substantially segmental throughout the remaining portion thereof.

Of course the angle through which the origi nal arcuate cut is made may be varied, and the shapes of the parts severed from the original circular blank may also be varied, to effect different'sizes of parts of the stand.

The platform member is provided with an angular lip at one margin for engaging an abutment portion at the chord of the frame and extends rearwardly therefrom. The bracket parts are positioned between an abutment on the lower part of the frame and the platform to support the latter at the desired angle for displaying the desired articles. The irregular annular piece remaining after the tire cover 35 side plate is blanked out of the original substantially square blank affords sufiicient material from which details such as retaining elements and legs may be stamped out. The legs and other details are suitably secured as by spot welding, rivets or the like to afford a support for the stand. A strip which may be severed from the shelf member or from other stock may trated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a view showing a tire cover side plate blank from which the annular piece forming the tire cover side plate has been removed, and also showing how the remaining material is stamped out to afford substantially all of the parts necessary to the construction of the display stand.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a display stand or rack constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially in the plane designated by the line IIIIII in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary rear View of Figure 2, somewhat enlarged.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially in a plane designated by the line VI-VI in Figure 3.

Figure '7 is an enlarged sectional view of the shelf portion of the display rack.

Figure 8 is an elevational view of an auxiliary supporting member or hanger for use when the rack is to be suspended instead of supported on legs.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the reference character I designates generally a substantially square blank of sheet metal which, prior to any operation thereupon, is imperforate. Blanks of this shape and appropriate size are employed in the manufacture of side plates for tire covers. These side plates, when stamped out, are flat and circular as indicated by the space 2, and each is ultimately formed to cover a side wall of a tire and to be held thereon as by a resilient split ring which embraces and covers the tire tread.

In the past, the material remaining after the cutting of the circular part indicated by the reference character 2 has been nothing more than scrap, resold at a small fraction of the pro rata cost of the same in the blank I. The amount of material thus constituting the scrap is obviously very considerable and the financial loss involved has accordingly been very substantial. In accordance with the present invention, a major portion of the material which heretofore has constituted scrap is employed in the construction of a novel display stand or rack. To this end, the center disc 3 is trimmed of a narrow annulus 4, leaving a disc 5a which is to constitute the major part of the stand.

The disc 50. is formed with a preferably concentric arcuate cut 6 of an extent preferably more than 180, leaving free an area correspondingly less than a circle as shown at 1. At the ends 8 of the arcuate cut 5, the material is further cut or stamped to form notches 9, and the material of the disc 5a is also severed along the chord lilextending between the ends 8 of the are 6. Thus, of the inner disc which would have been formed by making the arcuate cut 5 endless, the segment formed by the chord It and a continuation of the cut 6 remains integral with the remaining arcuate strip constituting the frame 5.

At the time the cuts at 5, 9, and III are made, the material I is given a chord-like cut I I preferably parallel to and of the same length as the chord l0, and a second and substantially radial cut l2 which is preferably substantially the perpendicular bisector of the chord ll. Thus are formed the piece I3 which is to constitute the shelf of the device, having two longitudinal straight line substantially parallel edges and two convex arcuate edges l4 and I5, and two corner pieces or braces l6 and I1, each having one side which is half the length of a side of the piece l3 and a right angularly related side represented by the cut l2, and each having for its third and remaining side, an arcuate edge H3. The material defined by the chord-like cut I and the notch cuts 9 is removed by the respective cutting or stamping operations.

The outer, generally annular piece l9 has substantial areas at its corners 20, which furnish sufficient material from which details employed in connection with the construction of the rack may be stamped. These details will be taken up in order as the building up of the rack is described.

The stamping operations with respect to the disc a having been completed as above described, the frame 5 thus remaining is subjected to an operation whereby its inner and outer margins 22 and 28 are bent substantially at right angles to the body of the frame 5 and in the same direction to lend a smooth outline when viewed from the front as seen in Figure 2. The notches 9 make it possible for the chord-like flange or lip portion 2| to be bent free of the remainder of the interior flanger22 and to project preferably somewhat farther rearwardly of the front face 23 of the frame 5. The shelf I3 has one longitudinal margin 24 thereof bent at right angles to the body as shown in Figures 3 and '7, and at that point is arranged to fit snugly below the flange portion 2i of the frame 5.

The means for supporting and firmly holding the shelf l3 in place will now be described.

Substantially rectangular clips 25 are stamped from one of the corners of the material 59 and preferably somewhat less in length than the short sides I2 of the corner pieces I5 and l l. The clips 25 are bent longitudinally so that one longitudinal margin 25 of each is laterally offset from the other margin thereof a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the material. The clips 25 are then arranged in spaced and parallel relation below the flange or lip 2| of the frame 5 and spot welded as at 25a or otherwise suitably permanently secured to the same so that the laterally outwardly extending margins 26 are spaced from the frame-5 to provide receiving sockets 27.

Each brace I6, I! is formed at its short side and parallel thereto adjacent its long side with a slit or out, leaving a tongue 29 which is bent into right angular relationship to the plane of said brace. The short margin 39 of which the tongue 29 is a part is then bent along substantially the line of the slit or cut, to a substantially right angular relationship to said brace, the tongue 29 thereupon substantially contacting the body of the brace and forming with said body and the bent margin 30 a solid angle of substantially 90. The arrangement is such that the tongue 29 when so located is spaced from the longitudinal edge 3| of the brace a distance substantially equal to the distance from the upper extremity of the adjacent clip 25 and the flange or lip 2!, less twice the thickness of the material. The flange or bent margin or lip 30 of the brace, when slipped or hooked into the socket 21, has its tongue 29 firmly in engagement with the upper end of the adjacent clip 25, and the longitudinal edge 3| firmly engages the lower surface of the shelf I3, the fit being sung so that the shelf member is held firmly in the relationship shown in Figure 3. To insure the firm positioning of the braces l6 and I 'I and consequently the firm securement and support of the shelf member I3, each brace is so formed that the length of the short side thereof is equal substantially to the distance between the lower surface of the shelf member I3 and the inner surface of the flange 28, measured substantially along the clip at each side of the vertical center of the frame 5. This is clearly shown in Figure 5, wherein each brace is shown at 32 to substantially engage the flange 28 at the outer peripheral margin of the frame 5.

In assembling the shelf I3 and braces with the frame 5, it will be understood from the foregoing that the shelf is first positioned with its bent margin 24 arranged against the rear face of the frame 5 below the flange 2I thereof, so that the body of the shelf I3 extends substantially horizontally rearwardly or in a plane at substantially right angles to the plane of the frame 5. This may be done perhaps more conveniently by placing the frame 5 so that it rests on a substantially horizontal support with its front side downward, and then positioning the shelf I3 as just stated. Each of the braces is then placed so that its plane is at substantially right angles to the plane of the frame 5, substantially as indicated by the 'dotted lines I60, and I'm in Figure 5. When so flanges 36 being thereupon further lodged in the pockets 21, the tongues 29 snugly engaging the upper extremities of the clips 25 adjacent the shelf l3, and the longitudinal edges M of the braces snugly engaging the adjacent face of the shelf I3. It will be observed that sufficient clearance is provided between said extremity of each clip 25 and the free edge of the depending flange 24 of the shelf I3 to enable the tongues 29 to swing thereinto.

When the parts are thus positioned, the portion 32a. of the curved or arcuate edge of each corner piece or brace is in snug or biting engagement with the frame flange 28, and the pressure of the corner pieces against the shelf l3 serves to hold the same firmly in position against accidental removal. The margins 36 of the corner pieces I6 and I! are formed to fit snugly in the pockets 21, so that the structure as just described is subtantially rigid.

To the end that the rigidity of the structure may be made more complete to prevent wobbling and to prevent accidental disassembly, a strut is employed to connect the corner pieces I6 and I1 together. For this purpose, preferably rectangular strips 33 are stamped from a corner 26 of the material I!) as shown in Figure 1. Each of the strips 33 is bulged at its center at 34 so that its plane at the center is offset from the plane of the remainder of the strip by substantially the thickness of the material. Each of these strips is positioned fiatwise against the inner face of its respective cornerpiece I6, ll, preferably somewhat spaced from and generally parallel to the short margin 30. The particular location of the strip with respect to each corner piece is immaterial so long as it serves its intended purpose. The member which is to constitute the strut comprises a strip or strap 35 which is also stamped from a corner of theinaterial [9 as shown in Figure l, and has its short ends bent in the same direction as shown at 36. With the corner pieces I6 and I! arranged as pointed out hereabove and as shown in the drawings, the pockets 3'! formed between the respective co-rner pieces 5 and I1 and the bulged portions 34 of the strips 33 are spaced apart substantially the distance between the bent portions 35 of the strip 35. While the parts l6 and I? are snugly assembled as heretofore described, there is nevertheless a slight flexibility which enables them to be pivoted a slight amount outwardly away from each other about their anchored margins to facilitate the positioning of the strap therebetween and enable the bent portions 36 of the strap to be forced snugly into hooked relation to the pockets 31. The fit is fairly tight and snug to insure against accidental separation, and yet is of such a character as to permit forcible separation as when it is desired to dismantle the rack. The strap thereby firmly holds the corner pieces I6 and I! in the desired spaced relationship with the margins 30 thereof securely fitted in the pockets 2! afforded by the frame 5 and clips 25. It will thus be observed that the shelf i3 is securely positioned as if it were welded or otherwise permanently secured, yet the task of dismantling the parts would require but a moment. f

It is desirable, though not absolutely necessary, that the rack be supported on a base such as a counter or showcase in a store. To this .end,'a pair of legs 38 are stamped from a corner 20 of the annular piece of material l9, and for the purpose of rigidity, each leg 38 is bent longi- -tudinally to a cross sectionally angular shape.

At points substantially removed rearwardly from the margins 30 of the corner pieces I6 and I1, respectively, the angular legs are pivotally secured at 39 as by rivets to said corner pieces, the pivotal connection being however such as to frictionally hold the legs 38 so that the same 'may be turned from the operative position shown in Figure .3, for example, to the inoperative position shown in dotted lines in that figure at 38a, and held by friction in such inoperative position.

To insure stability of the rack as a whole, the arrangement of the leg construction is such that the shelf I3 is inclined slightly downward from the horizontal. This is made possible by constructing the legs 38 so that their feet 40 are arranged rearwardly of the vertical plane of the pivots 39 as seen in Figure 3.

The feet 40 are held against further rearward movement by means of abutments 4 I. The abutments 4| are obtained by being stamped from'a corner 20 of the substantially annular piece of material I9 and are spot welded at Ma or otherwise suitably secured to the corner pieces I6 and l I. Each part 4| has a rearwardly extending portion 42 which is laterally ofiset to provide a pocket for the reception of the upper end 43 of the respective leg 38, the shoulder at the forward end of the offset portion 42 abutting said upper end 43.

In a display stand or rack of this character, it is desirable to provide means for supporting a mirror, preferably at the rear end of the shelf or platform. To this end, a strip 44 of preferably the same material, which may be cut or stamped from a longitudinal margin of the shelf part I3, and of a length substantially commensurate with the longitudinal margin referred to, is givena transversely angular shape. The rear margin of the platform I3 is similarly formed so that it is provided with an upstanding flange 45, and the angular piece 44 spot welded or otherwise suitably secured to the shelf I3 so that one of its arms extends upwardly in substantial parallelism andfairly close to the flange 45 as shown at 46 in Figure '7. The portions 45 and 46 extend upwardly sufficiently to provide a fairly deep trough for the reception of the lower end of a mirror or a frame enclosing a mirror, suitable instrumentalities being provided, of course, for fastening the mirror in position. Such instrumentalities may take any form, and for the purpose of facilitating such fastening, holes may be provided in the bottom of the trough formed by the portions 45 and 46 for the reception of screws, nails or the 7 like for embedding in the mirror frame.

The angular piece 44 may, as stated, be formed from the originally formed shelf piece l3, or, if desired, may be stamped from a different piece of stock. The upstanding portion 46 is preferably cut on a bias at its ends to assume substantially the same shape as the upstanding portion 45 of. the shelf l3,,so that, when viewed from the front, no part of the portion 46 projects or is visible beyond the portion 44.

The construction and assembly of the parts of the stand. or rack have beendescribed hereinabove. It will be observed that the rack is supported by the lowermost part of the frame and bythe legs 38, so that a rigid three point support for the rackis provided. It will be observed that the center of gravity of the. stand is in a plane well. to the rear of the lower supporting extremity of the frame 5,.thus insuring stability against tipping, and between the vertical planes passing through the. feet 40. and extending at substantially right angles. to the plane of the frame 5, whereby lateral tilting or tipping of the stand is inhibited for practical purposes.

It will be seen from the foregoing that just as the parts may be assembled readily and easily, somay they be disassembled. Thus the device as a whole may be shipped. in such a manner as to occupy substantially the same space as would be required in shipping the frame 5 alone.

It may be found advantageous under some circumstances to support the rack or stand by suspension instead of on legs asheretofore described. Provision for such a contingency is. made in connection with the above described construction. To this end, a clip 41-, stamped from a corner of the substantially annular piece l9; and a hanger 48 are employed. The arm 48 ispreferably formed from red material and is given a substantially L-shape, including an arm 49 which, at itsouter surface, is serrated at 50 or otherwise roughened, the other arm 5| remaining preferably smooth. The clip 41 has its end portions substantially in the same plane, but its intermediate portion is made part cylindrical" as shown at 52 to fit fairly snugly around a part of the correspondingly shaped arm 5| of the hanger 48', as shown in Figure 5. The height of the hanger 48, measured along the arm 5| thereof, it will be observed, is not in excess of the space afforded between the flanges 22 and 28 of the frame 5, and the clip 41 is spot welded as at 41a to. the upper part of the frame 5 between said flanges, with they bottom of the hanger 48 adjacent the part 5| normally resting upon the flange 22. The length of the part 49 of the hanger may be of any desired dimension, but is preferably such that, when swung into a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the frame 5, it fits against the body of the frame and between the flanges 22 and 28 as clearly seen in Figure 5.

When the rack is desired to be supported upon its legs, the part 49 of the hanger 48 is preferably swung into'the inoperative position shown in Figure 5 and as shown in full lines in Figure 3. When it is desired to support the rack by suspension, the legs 38 are swung to the inoperative positions 38a, the part 49 of the hanger 48- is swung into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, and the suspending means such as wire or the like looped under the part 49 and into engagement with one or more of the serrations 50, whereby slipping is prevented and the rack is properly supported. It will be observed that the length of the part 49 of the hanger 48 is sufficient tive and when employed as intended materially 9 improves the appearance of the section of the room in which it is placed. It may be polished, chrome plated or enameled and provided with any desired design to improve its artistic effect, and may be use-d to advantage with or without a mirror, although the latter is preferably employed not only to better show off the articles placed on the platform l3 in front of the same, but also to perform its own function when used by patrons of the establishment in which the stand appears.

As pointed out hereinabove, with the exception of the hanger 48, which is an auxiliary instrumentality for use only when it is desired to suspend the display rack, substantially the entire rack construction is formed from material which would otherwise and in fact has heretofore been sold as scrap remaining from the substantially square blank from which tire cover side plates are stamped. The construction of the stand involves an ingenious method of manufacture insofar as 1 its basic elements are concerned, namely the frame, shelf and supporting corners or brackets, in that these elements are shaped and arranged so that they are made from a disc, said disc being the material which remains at the center of the blank after the annular side plate of the tire cover is blanked or stamped out.

This is moreover accomplished with substantially no waste of material from the original disc.

It will be understood that the relative dimensions of the parts illustrated on the drawings are merely intended to be exemplary, since it will be understood that the width of the platform l3 and the size of the corner pieces l6 and I] may be varied without requiring any change whatever in the outer periphery of the frame 5. It is to be noted, of course, that the size of the corner pieces IE and I! should be such that they will afford adequate support for the shelf l3, both as regards the extent to which said pieces project rearwardly under the shelf l3 and the extent to which they are spaced apart when they are assembled to snugly engage the lower portions of theo-uter flange 28 of the frame 5 as for example shown at 32, and the lower face of the shelf l3.

While the invention has beendescribed as contemplating the use of sheet metal, where the tire cover side plate is made of the same material, it is understood to be well within the province of the present invention to construct the stand or rack of any.other suitable stiff sheet material of which tire cover side plates may be formed, such as hard rubber, cardboard, pressed wood, phenolic condensation products or the like. Of course, the rack may be constructed from any desired stock, not necessarily the material which heretofore has been sold as scrap resulting from the manufacture of tire cover side plates, but it is to be understood that one of the features of the present invention consists in the adaptation of such scrap material to the manufacture of the rack.

While the construction heretofore described is such that a certain degree of friction exists between the legs 38 and the respective corner pieces l6 and II to resist accidental pivoting of the legs, nevertheless, if desired, suitable positively acting holding means such as a latch, spring or gravity operated, may be employed to rigidly hold the legs in the position shown in Figure 3.

It is preferred that the frame 5 be imperforate as shown. However, if desire-d, the clips 25 providing the pockets or sockets 27 could be made integral with the frame by merely striking back corresponding portions so that they are offset just as are the parts 26. Similarly, the retaining sockets or parts 33 and 4! could be provided. Also, instead of striking out the legs 38 and strut 35, and other parts, if desired, from the annular piece I9, such parts could be struck out from appropriate portions of the frame 5, or preferably from the platform l3 and/or brackets l6 and H. These cuts could be arranged so as not to detract from, but possibly improve, the appearance of the respective parts.

In Figure 3, a plaque or mirror is shown fragmentarily at 47c, disposed in the trough 4?.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the frame at the chord Ill and the outer peripheral portion below said chord affords abutments engageable to enable the shelf to be rigidly mounted on the frame.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A knockdown display rack comprising a supportin member having a body and a ledge, a shelf having a margin under the ledge and a lip engaging the body adjacent the ledge, a pair of brackets, each having margins meeting at an angle, one margin of each bracket being bent and engaging said body and said lip, the edge at the other margin engaging said shelf to support the same, said bent margin having an abutment at an angle thereto, means affording sockets for releasably receiving the bent margins, said means being engaged with said abutments to thereby hold said edges at the other margins of the brackets in engagement with the shelf, and

a retainer releasably interlocked with said brackets to prevent escape of the bent margins from the sockets.

2. A knockdown display rack comprising a supporting member having a body and a ledge, a shelf having a margin under the ledge and a lip engaging the body adjacent the ledge, a pair of brackets, each having margins meeting at an angle, one margin of each bracket being bent and engaging said body and said lip, the edge at the other margin engaging said shelf to support the same, said bent margin having an abutment at an angle thereto, means affording sockets for releasably receiving the bent margins, said means being engaged with said abutments to thereby hold said edges at the other margins of the brackets in engagement with the shelf, a retainer releasably interlocked with said brackets to prevent escape of the bent margins from the sockets, and legs connected to said brackets and cooperating with said member to support the rack.

3. A display rack formed essentially from a disc of sheet material, comprising a substantially annular frame constituting the outer part of the disc, and a platform and brackets therefor constituting together substantially the remainder of the disc Without waste material, said platform extending from the inner periphery of the frame and at an angle thereto, and each of said brackets having angularly related edges respectively engaging the frame and platform to hold the same at said angle to each other, said frame having spaced parts between which said platform and brackets are tightly fitted.

4. A display rack structure including a substantially planar frame having abutment means adjacent its inner periphery and other abutment means spaced therefrom, a substantially planar shelf member engaging the inner abutment means and extending at an angle to the frame, and substantially planar bracing members wedged between the shelf member and the outer abutment means for bracing the shelf member at said angle to the frame, said members being of such shape as to fit substantially without overlapping in the confines of the frame when the rack is dismantled, so as to occupy a minimum shipping the respective surfaces in interengagement and constituting the sole means for holding the rack in assembly.

HERBERT W. TINKER. 

